A chilling National Security Strategy, published this afternoon, lists a string of dangers facing the UK and warns Brits must ‘actively prepare’ for war
A long-awaited Government report says the British public must “actively prepare” for war on UK soil – along with a string of chilling warnings.
The National Security Strategy, published this afternoon, highlights a string of fears as the Government gets on a war footing. Keir Starmer has pledged to bring security spending up to 5% by 2035 as the country faces a number of growing threats.
These include war breaking out between major powers, nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands, terrorists working with hostile states and despots seeking control in outer space.
In the forward to the document Mr Starmer said: “It is an era of radical uncertainty, and we must navigate it with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of thenational interest.” The report warns of deeper co-operation between Russia, China and North Korea and highlights the risk of key British infrastructure from foreign attack.
Here we look at some of the key takeaways from the strategy.
READ MORE: Brits must ‘actively prepare’ for war on UK soil, chilling government strategy warns
Brits must ‘actively prepare’ for war on UK soil
In one of the most chilling passages from the strategy, the British public is warned that war on UK soil is a possibility in the coming years.
Keir Starmer has previously warned that there needs to be a “whole society” response to growing threat, but this is worryingly explicit. It states: “For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.”
Danger of nuclear weapons ‘more complex than during Cold War’
The strategy said arms control measures had failed to keep up with the spread of nuclear weapons – highlighted by alarm over Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. It said: “The threat to the UK and our allies from nuclear weapons is once again growing.
“Tackling this challenge is likely to be more complex than it was even in the Cold War, with more states with more nuclear weapons, the further proliferation of nuclear and disruptive technology, and the failure of international arms control arrangements to keep pace.”
Likelihood of UK getting involved in military conflict ‘growing’
There is a greater risk of the UK getting dragged into war, the strategy states. One paragraph that makes uneasy reading states: “The likelihood of contingencies in which we may be asked, or choose, to confrontthreats by the use of military force is growing.
“We have seen groups like the Houthis threaten the essential principle of freedom of navigation with attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea, as well as on the allied navies there to protect them (leading to UK military action).
“Elements of the UK’s armed forces have been shifted into a stateof heightened readiness on a number of occasions in different theatres.”
Hostile states may join forces with criminals and terrorists
The document warns that it will become more difficult to identify hostile states as they work with criminal gangs and terror groups.
It says: “It may become more difficult to identify hostile state activity as they make useof terrorist and criminal groups as their proxies. Our reliance on data centres and otherforms of digital infrastructure will also increase vulnerabilities to cyber attack.”
War between major powers is ‘an active possibility’
The chances of major powers going to war has increased significantly, the Government has warned. The strategy states that this is now an “active possibility” – citing tensions between India and Pakistan.
It says: “Warfare between major powers, an international security crisis, or a situationwith multiple-contingencies across different regions, is an active possibility.”
Such conflict will have a major impact at home, it says. The report states: “We have seen direct military conflict between Israel and Iran. This follows years of aggressiveand destabilising activity by the Iranian regime which has included activity specifically targeted against UK interests at home and overseas.
“Significant escalation in any of these theatres would have a profoundly negative impact on our energy security, the cost of living and our ability to grow our economy.”
Russia and China seeking superiority in sea, online and outer space
The strategy says many of the rules keeping the international system in check are eroding.
It states: “Global commons are being contested by major powers like China and Russia,seeking to establish control and secure resources in outer space, cyberspace, thedeep sea, and at the Arctic and Antarctic poles. There will be less scope for agreement on mechanisms which protect fair trade, set controls on science and technological developments and mitigate the effects of climate change, as multilateral institutions decline in influence.”
Critical infrastructure is a target for UK’s enemies
The Government warned that key infrastructure will be a target for physical and cyber attacks. These include energy pipelines and transport networks.
The report says: “Meanwhile, critical national infrastructure – including undersea cables, energy pipelines, transportation and logistics hubs – will continue to be a target.”
WW2-style spirit needed
The document says: “The years ahead will test the United Kingdom… The direction it takes – and the decisions we take – will reverberate through the decades.
“We will need agility and courage to succeed, but we should be optimistic. We remain a resolute country, rich in history, values and in our capabilities. But most of all, there is the determination of the British people themselves. After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe.
“We can mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the rebuilding of our country.”
UK’s adversaries are working closely together
Referencing North Korea’s support for Russian forces in Ukraine, the strategy said hostile nations are more willing to work together. “As our adversaries and competitors engage in further military modernisation, issueslike technology transfer and sanctions enforcement are going to become increasinglyimportant,” the strategy states.
AI and technology will ‘change the character of conflict’
As if everything above wasn’t grim enough, the document also sounds the alarm about new chemical and biological weapons.
It says hypersonic missiles and AI-enhanced systems will create bigger challenges than existing arsenals. The strategy states: “Technology will also create new vulnerabilities and change the character of conflict.
“New chemical and biological weapons may be developed and proliferate. Hypersonic missiles and AI-enhanced systems will be supplemented by mass-produced, low sophistication capabilities like drones.
“Some of these technologies will be availableto a wider range of threat actors, posing new challenges to traditional concepts of deterrence and escalation.”
Climate change will add to pressures
The document paints a terrifying picture of the impact climate change could have as people are driven from their homes.
It says: “We will have to contend with the effects of climate change and potential ecosystem collapse, biological threats, demographic shifts, continued urbanisation, threats to human health, slow economic growth, inequality, and competition for basic resources, including food and water.
“Increased migration and population displacement will continue to place pressure on borders, infrastructure and public services, and potentially increase distrust and disinformation.”
Overseas instability will feed UK extremism
The report goes on to warn that instability across the world will play out in a dangerous way in the UK. It says that radicalisation and extremism from “terrorists, criminals and lone actors” will evolve in coming years.
The strategy states: “Ungoverned spaces in the Middle East and North Africa will accentuate these challenges, along with illegal migration. Terrorism – from Islamist and Extreme Right Wing ideologies– will remain a persistent, and diversifying threat.”
And it warned: “The number of vulnerable young people who are desensitised, exploited and radicalised online is likely to increase, alongside more individuals who are fixated by extreme violence.”
Authoritarian states are going all-out
Both China and Russia are arming up and developing dangerous technologies, the strategy says.
It said: “Authoritarian states are putting in place multi-year plans to out-competeliberal democracies in every domain, from military modernisation to scienceand technology development, from their economic models to the informationspace. Since 2022, for example, Russia has massively increased defence spending,not just to prosecute war against Ukraine but also to replenish its defence industrialbase and threaten others in its neighbourhood.”
And it warned that China’s military programme “has potentially hugeconsequences for the lives of British citizens”.
